TRAVEL IN HEAVENLY SIKKIM PART 1 YUMTHANG VALLEY

It was a beautiful morning at Lachung. The road below our room, the river across and the rising mountains beyond. A picture post card.

Tommy Singh, my dear friend came and stood behind me. With A cup of tea he was humming a song from an old Hindi movie “Madhumati”, “suhana safar aur ye mausam hansi” which was “a lovely journey and romantic weather”. I looked back at him and sang in the same tune, “continue your delight... end your song only when you reach the new heaven, “Yumthang!”
A quick breakfast of eggs and toast and we were off to Yumthang Valley, 24 km away from Lachung. The river accompanied us for a while and then a climb. The serpentine mountain road was taking us through a most picturesque landscape we had ever seen. Crystal clear streams, water falls, soaring mountains and natures bounty, you name it! Wow! 
And we were there.

Snow peaks

To fasten the beauty of Yumthang Valley in words would be like slighting the creator of such splendor. Yumthang Valley was just right place, where magnificence searched no bounds.

Valley of Flowers

Perched at the bewildering elevation of 11800 ft, Yumthang Valley tendered an awe-inspiring spectacle of alpine pastures, rhododendron forest and snow-cloaked peaks of the Himalayas of India Yumthang Valley was also known by the name of "Valley of Flowers". This bottomless vale had remarkable variety of flowers to boast of. Once again to its credit, Yumthang also embraced the world renowned Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary in its region. A tributary of the river Teesta was flowing through the valley and making it all the more mesmerizing in its appearance! 
I found Tommy Singh watching with his jaw dropped, an eye-catching vista of peaks. I looked around the carpeted meadows against this ethereal backdrop, amazed at the sight of Yaks grazing around.

We were told April and May promises colorful flowers, where as November end to March usually sees snows. Simple village folks spread scarcely admitted that the virgin landscapes were a food forever.

Another peculiar feature of the valley was, the valley totally covered with snow during the winter. Hence, while you see the flower bed in summer, you see snow bed in the winter!
I didn't know how much time lapsed. We had become a part of a timeless scene without any kind of intrusion!
Reluctantly and with a heavy heart we returned back to our exotica-Lachung!

Note: Foreigners require inner permit to visit Yumthang Valley. Easily obtainable. Contact your travel agent/ Gangtok.

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